Events – Christ Congregational Church

Join us for Christmas Eve! Wednesday December 24

5:00 PM Christmas Eve Family Service in the Fellowship Hall (in person only)

Join us for a candlelit family service in the round at Christ Congregational Church at 5pm. All ages are welcome to come as part of the wonder—shepherds, angels, magi, animals, or whatever helps you feel you have a place in the story. We won’t be providing costumes, but all ages are welcome to wear one if you’d like—or simply come as you are. LED candles will be provided for everyone. This will be a special, CCC-style Christmas Eve service. We’ll gather with carols, story, and light, held in a circle of warmth. Featuring the Intergenerational Orchestra.

Here is the bulletin.

8:30 PM Christmas Eve Lessons, Carols, and Candlelight with SSUMC, in the Sanctuary

This Lessons and Carols service will be offered in cooperation with Silver Spring United Methodist Church and will feature the combined Chancel Choirs. The service will take place in the SSUMC Sanctuary. (No childcare, but craft packs for those who may need them will be available; all ages welcome to participate in the service.) (There will be no Zoom; this service will be live-streamed via the SSUMC Facebook and YouTube pages.)

Bulletin printed by SSUMC

Christmas Music Sunday | Sunday December 21st

Christmas Music Sunday | Advent 4 | Featuring the CCC Chancel Choir

THIS Sunday December 21st | 10:30am

This Sunday, December 21, the Fourth Sunday of Advent, the Chancel Choir will offer music for our Christmas Music Sunday celebration at 10:30am in the Social Hall. Music will include Noel! by Karen Marrolli, Away in a Manger, Make We Joy Now in This Fest by Ian Assersohn, In Bethlehem by Erik Dewar and Dan Forrest, O Nata Lux by Douglas Byler, and I Wonder as I Wander by Kyle Pederson. We will be joined by a string ensemble, percussion and piano. A potluck brunch will follow the service, along with our CYM cookie fundraiser. All are welcome. Whether you are a longtime member or a first-time visitor, come as you are and experience one of our most uplifting services of the year.

Church school class will be offered for children.

Here is the bulletin for this Sunday.

Join Zoom Worship

https://zoom.us/j/119508399

Meeting ID: 119 508 399

Dial In via Phone

1-301-715-8592

Christmas Food Drives

Christmas Dinner Box Food Drive
and General Food Donations for Arleeta’s Pantry

We are currently collecting Christmas Dinner food boxes for families in need in our community. (This Sunday 12/21 is the last Sunday to bring in Christmas Dinner Box Donations. Then, we will have a one-time collection on Sunday, Dec 28, of New Year’s Day Dinner boxes, which will have the same food items as the Christmas dinner box donations.)

These dinner boxes will be similar to the Thanksgiving Dinner boxes our congregation members provided during November.

Please consider donating one or more dinner boxes through December that include the following:

Can of whole kernel (not creamed) corn
Can of green beans or mixed vegetables
Box/bag of mashed potatoes
Can of sweet potatoes
Can of cranberry sauce
Box/bag of cornbread mix
Jar/packet of gravy
Box of stuffing mix
2 small cans or 1 large can of pie filling or 1 large box or 2 small boxes of instant pie pudding mix
Shelf-stable (not refrigerated) pre-made pie crust in container pan

Our congregation is also collecting general nonperishable food items for SSUMC’s Arleeta’s Pantry, which provides canned and dried goods on the second and fourth Saturdays of each month from 9 a.m. to noon. Folks don’t have to pre-register to receive food and walk-ins are encouraged. Here are the food items requested for Arleeta’s Pantry: canned vegetables, canned soups, canned tuna, spaghetti sauce, pastas, rice, beans (black, brown, pinto), peanut butter, and jelly. We will continue with this general food collection indefinitely.

To stretch your food donation dollars, please note that all of the food items listed above for Arleeta’s Pantry and the Christmas Dinner food boxes can be purchased at Dollar Tree for $1.25 each.

-Any questions, contact Tom Doggett, CCC Food Donation Coordinator

September 7 Worship Materials

Worship With Us This Sunday September 7 | 10:30am
Communion, Fall Kickoff Sunday

You are warmly invited to join us for our Fall Kickoff Communion worship service this Sunday, September 7th at 10:30am. Sabbatical Pastor Gloria Grant will lead the worship service and preach, “Where are You God?”, based on Jeremiah 18:1-11 and Luke 14:25-33. Don Bruns, our Preaching and Youth Fellow, will be assisting with the order of worship. We welcome the return of CCC’s Chancel Choir after its summer hiatus. This Sunday they will sing “Songs from Silence” by Elaine Hagenberg, “Non Nobis, Domine” by Rosephanye Powell, and “Like a River In My Soul,” a Traditional Spiritual.

CCC practices open communion. Anyone who seeks the love of God is welcome at the Table. Jesus shared a life for the whole world; we seek to be as welcoming and open as he is.

Come be refreshed and inspired in community. Thank you to this week’s Lay Readers, Tony and Maureen Ingram, for leading us in prayer and scripture. Whether you’re a regular attendee or a first-time guest, all are welcome to come as they are and experience God’s presence in a warm, inclusive space. More info about Kickoff Sunday is posted here.

Download the Bulletin

September 7, 2025 Service Bulletin (pdf)

Join Zoom Worship

https://zoom.us/j/119508399

Meeting ID: 119 508 399

Dial In via Phone

1-301-715-8592
Meeting ID: 119 508 399

Stay after the service for Social Hour, Tacos and More!

Immediately following the worship service, we will gather for our 4th Annual Taco Bar and social hour to celebrate the start of our Fall Season! And while (or immediately after) enjoying a delicious taco lunch, we will have our Fall Calendaring Event, which is an opportunity for Pastors, staff, and the leads of engagement areas, committees, task forces, as well as other interested members of CCC, to collaborate (and coordinate) on our fall plans.

Have a particular activity you’d like to pitch for the fall? Interested in hearing about the opportunities to engage with your CCC community? All are welcome to attend as we brainstorm and plan for our fall together.

Note: Interfaith Council of Metropolitan Washington’s annual Unity Walk is this Sunday afternoon. Click here for details.

Exploring Faith Adult Education Class Starts a New Book This Sunday 9/7!

The Exploring Faith class will kick off its fall season this Sunday, September 7, at 8:30 am via Zoom. We will begin a discussion of “The Message and the Kingdom” by Richard A. Horsley and Neil Asher Silberman. The class meets by Zoom every Sunday morning at 8:30am. Contact Mary Stone to get the Zoom link and to get on the class email list. New members are always welcome.

Fall Kickoff is Sunday September 7th!

Exploring Faith Adult Education Class (Virtual) Starts a New Book!

The Exploring Faith class will kick off fall meetings on Sunday, September 7, at 8:30am via Zoom. We will begin a discussion of “The Message and the Kingdom” by Richard A. Horsley and Neil Asher Silberman. The class meets by Zoom every Sunday morning at 8:30am. Contact Mary Stone (INTOUCHMSTONE@gmail.com) to get the Zoom link and to get on the class email list. New members are always welcome.

Join Us for Our 4th Annual Taco Bar After Worship

Join us on Sunday, September 7th, as we officially kick off the fall season together, enjoy delicious tacos, and plan the CCC calendar for the fall season!

Fall Kickoff is the Sunday each year when our beloved Chancel Choir and Church School / Youth Programming and Adult Education all return to their normal schedules.

Immediately following the worship service, we will stay in the Social Hall for our 4th Annual Taco Bar to celebrate!

Stay for Our Fall Calendaring Event

After enjoying a delicious taco lunch, join us for our Fall Calendaring Event, which is an opportunity for Pastors, staff, and the leads of engagement areas, committees, task forces, as well as other interested members of CCC, to collaborate (and coordinate) on our fall plans. Have a particular activity you’d like to pitch for the fall? Interested in hearing about the opportunities to engage with your CCC community? All our welcome to attend as we brainstorm and plan for our fall together. Join us on Sunday, September 7th, in the social hall following worship.

Join the CCC Chancel Choir!

The first rehearsal is this Thursday September 4th. Click here for details.

Alex Boyer Celebration of Life Service and Reception June 29, 1:00pm

The memorial service for Alex Boyer will be Saturday, June 29 at 1:00 pm, with a reception following in the Social Hall. All attendees are encouraged to wear Nationals Baseball shirts, in honor of Alex’s devotion to the team.

Social Justice Sunday – June 30th, 10am

CCC Social Justice Sunday
Guest Speakers Rev. Graylan Hagler and Dr. Philip Farah
June 30th, 10am

Since 2018, every year CCC has observed one Sunday in June in honor of Robert White, a Black man living with mental illness when killed by police in Montgomery County. This year, our topic is the Christian response to the October 7th attack on Israeli civilians and Israel’s ongoing military response. In Gaza, an estimated 37,000 people have been killed and another 85,000 wounded. In the West Bank, occupied by Jews and Palestinians, Israeli settlers burned homes and shot Palestinian residents while members of the Israeli Defense Forces stood by.

The displacement and subsequent oppression of Palestinians has a long history of concern within the Black liberation movement. See this 1967 statement from the Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC): The Middle East Crisis, August 15 1967 (crmvet.org)

Please join fellow members of the United Church of Christ by signing the online cease fire petition: https://bit.ly/UCC4 Ceasefire

We will have a hard copy for people to sign in the sanctuary on June 30th.

Scotland Juneteenth Heritage Festival, June 15-19, Join Us!

Scotland Juneteenth Heritage Festival
June 15 – 19, 2024

https://www.juneteenthscotland.org/

Welcome to the Scotland Juneteenth Heritage Festival, the region’s most prolific cultural event focused on the celebration and support of the historic Black communities of Montgomery County, Maryland. Spanning five days and 8 venues, our 2024 Festival is set to captivate with 23 events across the county. With a fresh Caribbean carnival theme, this year’s Festival promises to be unforgettable with lively music, dances, activities, and a celebratory and vivid atmosphere.

Join your friends and neighbors on Wednesday, June 19, 2024 as we gather together under the Interfaith Pavilion at the Scotland Juneteenth Heritage Festival, marking its second annual celebration in support of Montgomery County’s Historically Black Communities. Returning this year, the Interfaith Pavilion will host various faith communities and non-profit organizations, featuring activities like Neighbor to Neighbor BINGO—an inclusive opportunity for all ages to foster community bonds. With a theme centered on “What it Means to be a Neighbor,” this vibrant area of the Festival promises fun and games for all attendees. CCC is an official sponsor of this event.

About the Scotland AME Zion Church & Community
The Church, built by hand by congregants (1915–1924), was severely damaged by a flood in the summer of 2019. The Scotland Community was founded in 1880 by William Dove, a formerly enslaved farmworker, who was the first Black man to own land in Potomac. It was an enclave of more than 500 acres. The Church, currently being restored, is the community’s only remaining historic structure. Twenty-five of the current 100 townhomes in the Scotland Community are still owned by descendants of the original founder.

Our Church in Action: A Journey Towards Justice

On May 22, our very own Carlean Ponder and Pastor Matt proudly represented CCC at a significant event organized by the Potomac Association Justice and Witness Action Network. This forum, held at First Congregational UCC in Washington, D.C., featured an address and conversation with Robert Jones, President and Founder of the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI).

Robert Jones, a prominent author and thought leader, has dedicated his work to uncovering and addressing the deep-seated issues of white supremacy in American society. His notable works include The Hidden Roots of White Supremacy: and the Path to a Shared American Future, White Too Long: The Legacy of White Supremacy in American Christianity, and The End of White Christian America. His insights challenge us to confront uncomfortable truths and to strive towards becoming anti-white supremacy churches.

Pastor Matt had the honor of introducing Dr. Jones, setting the tone for an evening of profound reflection and dialogue. Carlean Ponder shone as a host on the panel, guiding discussions with grace and conviction. CCC was a proud financial sponsor of this event, emphasizing our collective commitment to fostering conversations and actions that promote justice. Our support helps create platforms where voices like Dr. Jones’s can be heard, and where meaningful progress towards racial equality can be made.

We invite you all to continue engaging with these critical issues. Together, we can build bridges of understanding and create pathways to a shared American future grounded in compassion, justice, and unity.

CLICK HERE to watch a recording of the event.

Fauré’s Requiem in Lenton Concert This Saturday March 9th, 4pm @SSUMC

Please join us for an afternoon of music featuring Gabriel Fauré’s Requiem, performed by the Chancel Choirs of Silver Spring United Methodist Church (SSUMC) and Christ Congregational Church UCC. This special Lenten concert is part of the Dorothy M. Horton Memorial Concert Series sponsored by SSUMC. The concert will take pace on Saturday, March 9, 2024, at 4:00pm at SSUMC, 8900 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring. Special guest artists include Audrey Tornblom, soprano; Justin Harrison, baritone; and Edmond Charles, organ. Admission is free, but all donations will be gladly accepted.

Any questions, please email Sam Wack.

Category: Events

Join us for Christmas Eve! Wednesday December 24

Join us for Christmas Eve! Wednesday December 24

Christmas Music Sunday | Sunday December 21st

Christmas Music Sunday | Sunday December 21st